Fathers of Confederation


The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864, the Quebec Conference of 1864, and the London Conference of 1866, preceding Canadian Confederation. Only ten people attended all three conferences.
Of the 36 Fathers, eleven were Freemasons, notably John A. Macdonald, but including Bernard, Campbell, Carter, Chandler, Galt, Gray, Haviland, Henry, Pope, and Tilley.

Table of participation

The following table lists the participants in the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London Conferences and their attendance at each stage.
ParticipantPortraitProvince CharlottetownQuebec CityLondon
Sir Adams George ArchibaldNova Scotia
George Brown
Ontario
Sir Alexander CampbellOntario
Sir Frederick CarterNewfoundland and Labrador
Sir George-Étienne CartierQuebec
Edward Barron ChandlerNew Brunswick
Jean-Charles ChapaisQuebec
James CockburnOntario
George ColesPrince Edward Island
Robert B. DickeyNova Scotia
Charles FisherNew Brunswick
Sir Alexander Tilloch GaltQuebec
John Hamilton GrayPrince Edward Island
John Hamilton GrayNew Brunswick
Thomas Heath HavilandPrince Edward Island
William Alexander HenryNova Scotia
Sir William Pearce HowlandOntario
John Mercer JohnsonNew Brunswick
Sir Hector-Louis LangevinQuebec
Andrew Archibald MacdonaldPrince Edward Island
Sir John A. MacdonaldOntario
Jonathan McCullyNova Scotia
William McDougallOntario
Thomas D'Arcy McGeeQuebec
Peter MitchellNew Brunswick
Sir Oliver MowatOntario
Edward PalmerPrince Edward Island
William Henry PopePrince Edward Island
John William RitchieNova Scotia
Sir Ambrose SheaNewfoundland and Labrador
William H. SteevesNew Brunswick
Sir Étienne-Paschal TachéQuebec
Sir Samuel Leonard TilleyNew Brunswick
Sir Charles TupperNova Scotia
Edward WhelanPrince Edward Island
Robert Duncan WilmotNew Brunswick

Group photographs

Other possible claimants to title

Four other individuals have been labelled as Fathers of Confederation. Hewitt Bernard, who was the recording secretary at the Charlottetown Conference, is considered by some to be a Father of Confederation. The leaders most responsible for bringing three specific provinces into Confederation after 1867 are also referred to as Fathers of Confederation.